Wine of the Week: 2009 Paul Jaboulet Ainé Crozes Hermitage ‘Les Jalets’

I opened this bottle, poured out a glass of the deep garnet Syrah and got a whiff of sun-baked hillside, dark berries and wild herbs. The taste is redolent of spice and blackberries, smoke and something brambly and wild. A close but less glamorous cousin of Hermitage, the 2009 Crozes Hermitage “Les Jalets� from Jaboulet is made from 25-year-old vines. The grapes come mostly from “Les Jalets� vineyard, named after the old French word for the pebbles left by Alpine glaciers.

FOR THE RECORD:
Wine of the Week: In the April 20 Saturday section, the Wine of the Week review of the 2009 Paul Jaboulet Aine Crozes Hermitage “Les Jalets� gave an incorrect phone number for Monopole Wine in Pasadena. The correct number is (626) 577-9463. —

This is a Crozes Hermitage that can stand up to grilled meats. Skip the heavy barbecue sauce, though. I love it with Provencal-style daube of beef with black olives. Butterflied leg of lamb would be a fine match too.

Region: Northern Rhone Valley, France

Price: $20 to $23

Style: Rich and full-bodied

What it goes with: Grilled meats, daubes and stews

Where to find it: BestWinesOnline.com, (888) 817-8880, https://www.bestwinesonline.com; Mission Wine & Spirits in Pasadena, (626) 794-7026, and Glendale, (818) 242-0683, https://www.missionwineandspirits.com; Monopole Wine in Pasadena, (626) 577-9463, https://www.monopolewine.com; Remedy Liquor in La Cañada-Flintridge, (818) 790-0078, https://www.remedyliquor.com; Spectrum Wine Retail in Irvine, (949)748-4845, https://www.spectrumwineretail.com; and the Wine House in West Los Angeles, (310) 479-3731, https://www.winehouse.com.

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